The adventures of MAN can be recounted endlessly, and the Welsh ensemble’s late leader Deke Leonard tried exactly that in his autobiographical series of books. There even was a film titled “God Walking Past” back in 2008, which covered only the first three years of the collective’s original lifespan, so now the time has come to take their story further – and deeper too. This is what a five-DVD set planned for release on November 18th aims for.
Why does progressive rock have to be contrived? Here’s the question which never seemed to prey on Nick Magnus’ mind. And though almost all of the British composer’s oeuvre belongs to this genre, its orchestral scope – sculpted completely on his keyboards – is so rich as to break down any stylistic barriers there are. However, Magnus could not care less about genres and styles, because for him only stories and melodies must serve as record-driven engines, and Nick’s albums excel in tuneful storytelling.
Of course, many a listener may maintain that the ivories master’s claim to fame would lie with his remarkable spell as Steve Hackett‘s right-hand man in the late ’70s and early ’80s, yet it’s Magnus’ solo career that should properly highlight his talents. And if Nick’s previous works felt quiet serious in terms of concept, the pieces of 2024’s "A Strange Inheritance" bring forth a different aspect of what the veteran does: his adventurousness. But how did such a journey was charted? Here’s the question which took us a few hours to find an answer to.
He may have passed away as a result of a stupid accident almost four decades ago, yet people’s interest in Robbie Basho‘s music doesn’t seem to be diminishing even if the cache of his unissued recordings does. A guitarist of immense talents and unusual technique which encompassed folk, raga and classical approaches to the instrument, Basho’s left an impressive legacy, and though there’s been no archive-derived studio releases since Robbie’s death in 1986 at the age of 45, except for the “Songs Of The Great Mystery: The Lost Vanguard Sessions” and “Song Of The Avatars: The Lost Master Tapes” – respectively, a double-LP and five-CD sets, both out in 2020 – a slew of concert albums saw the light of day between 2008 and 2017. Yet when one began to presume, a barrel to scrape was emptied, a generous smattering of the late artist’s onstage numbers has been found and prepared for public consumption.
To see the words “Montreux Jazz Festival” and the name of Iggy Pop in one context amounts to something almost surreal, but the veteran Stooge played the prestige event a few times by now: in 2006, with his old compadres, in 2018, in 2023. And it’s the last outing that was deemed worthy of more than a simple online video: on January 24th, 2025 the shirtless legend’s entire set will be released in a double-LP and CD/Blu-ray variants.
Nobody knew that at the time, of course, but on December 10th, 2022 the mighty MAGNUM played their last-ever concert. A year after the British band’s tour came to a close, their leader Tony Clarkin was diagnosed with a rare spinal condition which led to his untimely passing in January of 2024. This is what makes the Wolverhampton recording which will see the light of day on January 10th, 2025 on CD and LP and as a digital download so special. There can be no more poignant document.
